«　WEEK 1　DAY 5　»

　　Isa. 55:3-4 ...I will make an eternal covenant with you, even the sure mercies shown to David. Indeed, I have given Him as a Witness to the peoples, a Leader and a Commander to the peoples.

　　2 Chron. 6:42 O Jehovah God,...remember Your lovingkindness to David Your servant.

　　Psa. 89:1 I will sing of the lovingkindness of Jehovah forever; from generation to generation I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.

　　The resurrected Christ is the holy and sure things of David, things that are mercies or blessings to us. The resurrected Christ is the mercies and blessings God gives to us in this age. These are the holy and sure things of David prophesied in Isaiah 55:3 and fulfilled in Acts 13:34. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 400)

　　Acts 13:34 says, "As to His having raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to corruption, He spoke in this way, ‘I will give you the holy things of David, the faithful things.'" Verses 33 and 34 are concerned with the resurrection of Christ. Verse 33 says, "That God has fully fulfilled this promise to us their children in raising up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son; this day have I begotten You.'" We have seen that Christ's resurrection was His second birth to bring Him forth as the firstborn Son of God. God promised to give Him to His people, and this resurrected One is the holy and faithful things of David. The phrase the holy things of David, the faithful things indicates that Christ was of David, for it was out of David's seed that God raised up such a One. To God the resurrected Christ is the firstborn Son, but to us He is the Savior. Moreover, He is a great gift given by God to His chosen people and this gift is entitled the holy things...the faithful things.

　　These holy and faithful things are all the aspects of what Christ is. According to the New Testament, Christ is life, light, grace, righteousness, holiness, sanctification, and justification. He is also the bread of life and the living water. Furthermore, the holy and faithful things include all the aspects of Christ unveiled in 1 Corinthians: power, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption, glory, the depths of God, the unique foundation of God's building, the Passover, the unleavened bread, the spiritual food, the spiritual drink, the spiritual rock, the Head, the Body, the firstfruits, the second man, and the last Adam. We see many more aspects of Christ in the Gospel of John, such as the Shepherd and the pasture. Oh, how much Christ is to us as the holy and faithful things! As the resurrected One, He is the firstborn Son, the Savior, and all the holy and faithful things.

　　In the Old Testament the holy and faithful things are regarded as mercies. Isaiah 55:3 speaks of "the sure mercies shown to David." Second Chronicles 6:42 mentions "the mercies of David" (KJV), the Lord's servant, and Psalm 89:1 says, "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever" (KJV). Mercy implies both love and grace, but it reaches further than love. Where love and grace cannot reach, mercy can reach. All the holy and faithful things are Christ Himself as mercies to us. Life is a mercy, and light is also a mercy. Likewise, righteousness, holiness, justification, and sanctification are mercies. In chapter 10 of the Gospel of John we have the door, the pasture, and the Shepherd, all of which are mercies. If we took time to count all the aspects of these mercies, we would have a long list of mercies. A husband's love for his wife and the wife's submission to her husband are Christ as mercies to us. If a husband, in Christ, loves his wife, this surely is a mercy. His love for her is Christ Himself as a mercy to him. In a similar way, if a sister, in Christ, submits to her husband, that also is a mercy. Her submission is Christ Himself as a mercy to her. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 400-401, 2996-2997)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Acts, msg. 38